


Turning Tables

by Johanna_002



Category: Orange is the New Black
Genre: Coming Out, Drama, F/F, Femslash, Fights, Hurt/Comfort, Office Kiss, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-23
Updated: 2017-05-23
Packaged: 2018-11-04 00:22:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10978476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Johanna_002/pseuds/Johanna_002
Summary: From enemies to friends, to whatever the hell they were now. A stolen moment in the small, confined office, turns the tables for Red and Gloria. Femslash warning.





	Turning Tables

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This was intended to be a one-shot, but I'll let you all decide because I feel like this could become a multi-chapter adventure.

Title: Turning Tables

Summary: From enemies to friends, to whatever the hell they were now. A stolen moment in the small, confined office, turns the tables for Red and Gloria. Femslash warning.

Disclaimer: I do not own OITNB or any of its characters. They belong to Jenji Kohen. I do, however, own my writing, please don't steal- Johanna002©

-01-

"What's the matter with you?" Red asked nonchalantly, not even bothering to lift her head. Instinctively, she recognized Gloria's presence as she leaned against the desk.

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Gloria tip-toed just enough until she could sit on the metal surface and pushed herself back just a tad, hands resting on the ends of the desk as she gripped the edge.

Her eyes still focused on the paper in front of her, Red clicked her pen reflexively as she waited for an answer.

Angry, but not at her, Gloria tried to keep the hostility out of her voice as she spoke. "You ever get tired of this fucking place?" She sighed in frustration, realizing the rhetorical components of her question. Who wouldn't be tired of this place? Her eyes focused on her feet as they swung out in front of her. "I just want to go home."

"Home?" At this, Red lifted her head, her brows knitted together in confusion. She wasn't even sure where that was anymore. Of course, part of her longed for her freedom, but it was for the life she used to live- when she was Galina. Now, she wasn't sure who she was without Litchfield. She wasn't even sure where she'd go when she left this place.

Her family was no longer the stable unit it had once been. Her marriage had ended, her boys were grown up; they had wives and kids, families of their own that she had only had the privilege of meeting a few times.

Whatever she had, whatever she was now, was Litchfield. The only sense of new normal she could hope to cling to on the outside would be continuing her relationship with Nicky. Without that girl in her life, Red hardly saw a point to existing.

"I miss my sons," Gloria admitted, her voice fragile, breaking through the Russian's depressing train of thought.

As if on cue, Gloria's eyes misted, all of her regrets flooding to the forefront of her mind. Her hands gripped the edge of the desk tightly, her knuckles turning white as she fought against the urge to cry. Why had she even come here? She was well aware of her mood before she entered the office. She knew she was in a delicate state of mind. It wasn't in her nature to cry, let alone in front an audience.

At the feel of a gentle hand squeezing her knee, she felt all of her insecurities vanish into thin air. Her eyes opened to see red painted finger nails and a sad smile tugged at her lips as they scratched against her knee teasingly.

This was why. Red got her; she understood. She had sons- a family. Unlike Aledia, who seemed to hate her kids every waking minute of the day, or Maria, who hadn't been afforded the opportunity to even learn her daughter, Red had been an active and involved mother. She lived the same life Gloria once had.

"It doesn't get any easier," Red informed her matter of factly. "But your sons are still young, they still need you. They aren't grown men like mine, with children and responsibilities." She smiled wistfully at the look of distress scribbled across Gloria's features and she patted her leg gently. "You have what, two more years?"

Gloria shrugged. "Something like that." Red's words were only slightly comforting, but it was nice to at least be understood.

Red pushed herself back in her chair, her thumb still repetitively clicking the pen open and closed. "What will you do, when you get out of here?" Part of her was curious, and another part of her- the part that enjoyed a good puzzle- wanted to try and somehow convince the other woman that while getting home to her sons was important, she needed to get herself together first. There was no way she'd be any use to them if she couldn't even look after herself.

Gloria smiled softly, realizing her little game. She had become used to being the subject of Red's interest. The woman was nosey as hell. She should have been a damn psychologist. No doubt, she would have excelled well in the field.

"Maybe work with my aunt," Gloria shrugged. "I have connections- people. I'll figure it out."

"The same people who put you in here?" Red was skeptical. She had people too; connections she regretted ever making. No way would she ever inquire their help. Could Gloria be that reckless?

Shaking her head, Gloria looked down to her feet. "I got myself in here," she admitted shamefully. "Stupid decisions, pissing off the wrong people," she sighed, shoulders slouching. "You know how that goes."

Unfortunately, Red knew exactly how that went. "They would have hurt your family?"

Gloria lifted her head, eyes wide in horror. "No!" she shook her head, the fringe of her hair bobbing with her every movement. Her heart pounded in her ears at the mere thought of someone hurting her sons over her stupid mistakes. "Nothing like that… I just… single mom, trying to make extra cash and it didn't work out for me."

If only her actions had been as simple. Red forced a smile to her lips and nodded, her deeds seemingly more sinister than what Mendoza had been involved in. It was probably a petty crime- something people did all the time. Her eyes fell onto her lap as she twisted the pen over and over again in her hands.

The look of sadness on her features did not go unnoticed by Gloria and immediately the Hispanic woman felt guilty for unloading on her. She had troubles of her own, probably a fuck load of time left on her sentence compared to her measly two years.

Red had missed her children growing up, no doubt she'd miss out on her grandchildren's lives too. At least when Gloria got out, her sons would still be minors, they would still need her and there would still be so much left to do with them- she still had so much time.

"I need to go find Nicky," Red's Russian laced English broke the somber tension.

Nodding, Gloria forced a smile, a sudden swell of sadness ghosting over her. Whether Red needed to go because she truly needed to see the mouthy girl or to calm herself back down from the heaviness of their conversation, she was unsure.

Pushing herself up from the desk, Gloria ran her hands over her uniform self-consciously. "I should probably to go check on my own." She held out her hand, helping Red to her feet.

Standing up, Red realized just how close the two of them were. She felt her breath hitch in her throat as her eyes locked onto Gloria's brown ones. Awkwardly she pulled her hands from Gloria's and wiped them down her sides.

As badly as she wanted to look away, Red found that she couldn't. There was just something about the way Gloria was looking at her which compelled her to stay. It wasn't the same pleading, lost look, of someone who needed a mother figure or a pillar of support. No, the look in Gloria's eyes was as familiar as it was foreign- something she hadn't seen in many years, but one she knew she'd never forget.

Longing. Curiosity. Lust.

Perhaps all the above.

Since Red had gotten back into the kitchen they had grown incredibly close. It hadn't happened overnight, but the more they worked together, learning the ins and outs of how the other operated, they had begun to find a strange enjoyment in one another's company.

Somewhere, in the midst of all that camaraderie, something had shifted, something Red had tried so hard to ignore.

Gloria was insightful, more so than anyone probably gave her credit for. Unlike her daughters, apart from Nicky, Red had never been able to click with another person the way she and Mendoza had.

Allowing her gaze to drift downward toward her lips, Red swallowed nervously. The little voice in her head screamed for her to leave, or at the very least, to say something that would break the rising tension. Suddenly the room felt smaller. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears and she swore it would eventually beat right out of her chest.

When she looked into Gloria's eyes once again, ready to make an excuse to leave, the expression on her counterpart's face was intense, almost threatening.

For a moment, Red thought maybe Gloria was angry, that there had possibly been more going on with her than she had realized, but before she could ponder it further, she felt herself being yanked forward, Gloria's hand clutching tightly to the front of her shirt.

A small gasp escaped from deep within her and her eyes widened in surprise as Gloria's lips covered her own in a hungry kiss.

Of its own volition, Red's body responded immediately. Her eyes fluttered closed and her hands reached out to steady herself, finding a comfortable, almost natural position on the curve of Gloria's hips.

Gloria's mouth was warm against her own, the caress of her lips softer than she could have ever imagined. Gloria tasted tentatively with her tongue, and Red opened her mouth with a low moan.

Red's hands gripped tightly to the fabric of Gloria's shirt and she smiled into the kiss as Gloria's hands moved to tangle in her hair, guiding her in the kiss as their tongues dueled and battled for control.

Suddenly, Gloria pushed away as if she'd been burned. She jumped slightly, eyes large with worry, her breathing labored. "I'm sorry," she said in a strangled voice. "Uh," she nervously ran a shaky hand over her mouth, eyes darting around unfocused as she tried to regain her bearings. "That-" she stopped herself, unprepared- confused- on where to even begin.

Red bit her bottom lip nervously, her head tilting slightly as she regarded the other woman carefully. She wasn't sure why she wasn't panicking, why she wasn't freaking out over the fact that she had responded to the kiss.

In a move that could only be described as a force of nature, Red pulled Gloria's hand from her mouth, her fingers clutching tightly around her wrist. She took a step toward her, backing her into the corner of the desk so that Gloria had no choice but to sit down.

Gloria had hardly noticed the change in position. "I'm sor-" she whispered, briefly unaware that her words had died on her lips. Her eyes closed at the feel of herself being drawn into another kiss.

What had come over her, Red wasn't sure. The only thing she knew was that she wanted more of this. It had been so long since she had experienced this type of rush; since she had felt this way toward another person.

Pulling back slowly, Red wiped gently at the sides of her mouth.

Realizing the look in the redhead's eyes, Gloria's mouth parted in surprise. She cleared her throat, senses finally coming back to her as she realized Red had initiated this kiss.

They regarded one another in silence, nothing but their heavy breathing filling the room. Finally, Gloria smiled, her eyes squinting playfully as she allowed herself to happily accept the reality of their situation. She wasn't quite sure what that was in context- their situation- but right now, everything felt good, it felt right.

Blushing under Gloria's gaze, Red shifted nervously on her heels. She felt Gloria's hand on her hip and she lifted her head. Her eyes darkened at the sight of Gloria's swollen lips and before she could stop herself she was kissing her again.

Her hands tangled in the brunette's short hair and it was her turn this time, to lead the pace of their kiss. Dragging her tongue along Gloria's bottom lip, Red was rewarded entrance into the hot cavern of her mouth.

Pushing into her, Red didn't miss the growl of approval that vibrated throughout Gloria's chest as she reclined back slightly on the desk.

Dropping her hips forward, Gloria felt her legs opening in silent invitation to accommodate Red's figure as she stepped further into her space.

One arm snaked up to wrap around Red's back and Gloria couldn't help but laugh softly in the back of her throat as she drew Red toward her greedily. Her mouth teased and enticed Red's tongue back into her mouth where she sucked on the muscle hungrily.

Breathless, she pulled back. Her hips thrust up seductively as her center encountered the hard plain of Red's hip bone. She repeated the action over again, whimpering softly when Red didn't move her hand to touch her.

Kissing was one thing, but touching Gloria in that way was another. It wasn't something she was comfortable doing just yet. This was too much change, too fast.

Hoping to distract her, Red pulled back a fraction of an inch pulling her into another kiss and subtly resituating their position so that Gloria was once more sitting up. Her hands situated themselves on the other woman's hips and she squeezed lovingly.

Pleased that Gloria seemed satisfied with her silent plea to not cross those boundaries, Red amended herself with something she could offer her. Her scarlet red nails found their way under Gloria's shirt and hums of approval left them both at the warmth Red's fingers encountered as they scratched gently at Gloria's skin.

Red licked her lips playfully and she sucked Gloria's bottom lip between her teeth, her hands still running up and down the sides of her figure teasingly.

"Gloria!" It was Aledia. "Where the fuck are you, huh?"

Like a flash of lightning, the two women broke apart hastily. Red turned, her back to the door as her hand reflexively went to her mouth. Gloria's feet touched the ground and she crumpled the paper Red had been looking at earlier in her shaky hand; she pretended to read over its contents.

"There you are," Aledia leaned against the door, her arms crossed over her chest in frustration. "What the fuck you doing, huh? You were supposed to thread my eyebrows."

Putting the paper back on the desk, Gloria rolled her eyes. "Why can't Daya?"

"I pissed her off at lunch," she explained lamely. "That girl, never happy with anything." Her hands dropping to her side, Alidea shifted on her feet. "You coming or what?" she gestured toward Red, "She can handle whatever the fuck that business is there since it's her fucking kitchen. Don't let her talk you into doing her fucking work."

Gloria forced a smile to her lips. "I'll meet you in a few, huh. We're almost done here." She inclined her head at the nod of Aleida's approval and she waited until the woman was out of sight before she breathed a shaky, audible sigh of relief.

Eyes focused on Red's back, she shook her head in humiliation. "I'm sorry," she apologized. She stood a little straighter, her hands shaking uncontrollably until she crossed her arms over her chest.

Red's eyes rolled heavenward and she nodded. Turning on her heel, she crossed her own arms protectively over her chest. "You should go," she whispered. "Before all of fucking Mexico comes in here looking for you."

Gloria laughed, the fingers of her left hand awkwardly pinching at her bottom lip. "I'm Cuban."

"What's the difference?" Red asked sarcastically, her eyes shining with mirth.

"For one-" Gloria stopped herself with a smirk. She pushed herself from the desk and reached out to wipe the lipstick from the corner of Red's mouth. "Am I good?" She asked quietly.

Red nodded. Her lips were a little swollen, but that realization only caused Red to stand a little taller with pride. "You're good," she finally echoed.

Inclining her head, Gloria released another deep breath. "Are we okay?"

Again, Red nodded, her features relaxing as the stress from Gloria's body seemed to leave at once.

"Good," Gloria's voice was barely above a whisper. Her eyes focused on her lips longingly before she drew her eyes back up to Red's blue ones. She felt herself take a step back, the urge to kiss her was returning and she needed to leave before things got out of control... again. "We can talk later?"

"We'll talk later."


End file.
